Tomorrow is National Banana Bread Day.

Wait, back up a minute.

Why didn’t anyone tell me today is National Margarita Day!?

I guess I can still celebrate that one. and I will.

Second only to pumpkin pie, banana bread is one of the first things I learned how to bake. I had a standard for years, a variation of recipes from my mom and my grandma. Then I learned how to bake gluten free and vegan, and methods changed again. Banana bread is always good.

Nowadays I like to make it fun, get creative, add ingredients to make it different. Since I am spending so much time with him lately, this one is for my dad. and tomorrow I am actually bringing it to him, we will enjoy it for breakfast!

My dad is from Hawaii, so the recipe I made for him is tropical – sweetened with chunks of mango and shredded coconut, with a crunch of sugared macadamia crumble on top. This is divine.

tropical banana bread

dairy, egg, soy and gluten free, vegan

makes one loaf

2 tablespoons chia seeds
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup butter (Earth Balance soy free)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup gluten free all purpose flour
1 cup brown rice flour (or use more AP)
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch sea salt
1 mango, peeled and cubed (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
sugared macadamia topping (recipe follows) 

Combine chia and water, set aside to thicken. Combine coconut milk and apple cider vinegar, set aside. Cream together butter, sugar and maple syrup. Add bananas, add milk and chia mixtures, combine. Add flours, do not stir – add baking soda and salt, mixing into flour then mixing together with wet ingredients, until just combined. Stir in mango cubes and shredded coconut, pour batter into prepared loaf pan (sprayed and or lined with parchment). Top with sugared macadamia topping.

Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes clean.

sugared macadamia crumble

3/4 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cold butter (Earth Balance soy free)

Using a food processor or knife, finely chop macadamia nuts. Combine brown sugar and macadamia pieces, cut in cold butter until crumbly texture forms. Sprinkle in an even layer over banana bread before baking.

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Happy National Banana Bread Day!

Gosh I miss you guys. Yes, you. and you. You too. All of you.

I am hoping to have a bit more of a normal schedule soon, but right now I am absolutely happy to be able to do what I am doing. Helping my dad, taking care of things for him right now, making sure he has everything he wants and needs, I cannot imagine it any other way. This is my Most Important Thing right now.

Thank you all again for your continued thoughts, prayers, support and messages. All of it makes me smile, makes my day, and is truly appreciated. So many of you ask about his progress – he has completed his first round of chemo and is feeling GOOD now that it is done. Routine doctor appointments and one 3am emergency trip to the ER have been the routine this week (well, I’m hoping the ER visits are not routine!) and things are getting back into a groove. My nursing skills are pretty dang efficient at this point, and time and again I am shown I keep calm under pressure and during big events, which is one of those things you never really know until it is put to the test.

I’m doing pretty good.

I deserve a cookie.

I know I often say ‘this recipe is my favorite’ or “make this today, please”! This time, really, I mean it. I meant it all the other times too… but this one, really. I love this cookie. Jason loves this cookie. All the CICU nurses at Providence Portland love this cookie (and not just because they enjoyed three batches of them).

date filled butter cookies

makes 20-24 cookies

gluten, dairy, egg and soy free, vegan

1 cup butter (Earth Balance soy free)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 cups flour (gluten free ap)
1/4 cup milk (vanilla almond)

Cream together butter, sugar and water. Stir in flour 1/2 cup at a time, adding milk by the tablespoon as necessary. Combine until dough forms, do not over mix. Knead into a ball, cool in refrigerator 10 minutes. Forming cookies: first, roll one inch pieces of dough into ball, second, flatten and fill with date paste, third, pinch four sides together into a square.

Place on prepared baking sheet, bake at 300 for 25 minutes.

date paste

1 pound Medjool dates, pitted
1 cup water
zest of 1 small lemon 

In saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients, stirring/mashing until dates break down to paste consistency and water is absorbed. Cool completely before filling cookies.

Make this cookie. For me? For you.

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this Valentines, Jason and I celebrated at one of my favorite places, Blossoming Lotus. they had a special Valentines menu, with two options for each course. as we normally do, we each chose one and shared.

we had a cheers with cocktails. mine:

White October – vanilla infused vodka, Averna, Cafe Lolita, coconut milk, ginger sugar, maple syrup – served up

this was amazing. mildly sweet, strong coffee and maple flavors. deliciously warming.
I had two.

Wintry Mix Manhattan – Bulleit rye, cinnamon-ginger infused Vya vermouth, orange bitters, barrel-aged bitters

Jason loved his Manhattan - enough that he talked about recreating his own version at home. sounds like someone I know…

the amuse:

Seasonal marinated and pickled vegetables

we each had our favorites with this plate – I loved the cauliflower, radish and the chili seasoned carrots! Jason liked the green beans and the beets.

the salad course:

wild arugula salad with preserved Meyer lemon and za’atar vinaigrette, roasted red and gold beets, pear

the arugula was deliciously nutty and spicy, and the pear was an inventive addition. we both loved this.

winter citrus salad with shaved fennel and basil, pomegranate, white balsamic

you know I love my vibrant colors in food – visually, this was my favorite of the evening. the bright flavors and the basil earned a place as my favorites in taste as well.

marinated king trumpet mushroom nigiri with parsnip rice, collard green maki roll with cucumber and avocado, salad of kale and wakame, burdock-carrot kinpira, pickled ginger

almost every visit to Blossoming Lotus includes me enjoying their collard rolls, or taking an order to go. I was very happy to see they made a roll for one of the choices – Jason and I both loved this course. I could eat these every day.

cornmeal and herb encrusted portobello, garlic chive mashed potatoes, braised chard, red wine demi glace

straight up comfort food.

I’m not even hungry right now and thinking of this plate just made my stomach growl and my mouth water… I could so eat this right now (yeah, it’s 4:38 in the morning…)

the portobello was perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked. a bite of portobello with a pouf of mashed potato blanketed in chard and dunked into the glorious demi glace…
I think that would satisfy any omnivore. completely.

raw chocolate torte with cashew crust and banana sorbet

okay. I almost didn’t include this photo – this was where the people next to us started talking about us and gave an eye roll for taking photos. so I made it quick. oh and also?
I was on time to the seating, not 40 minutes late. ahem.

anyway! this was gorgeously smooth and perfect. the banana sorbet (with shreds of mango!) was a wonderful light pairing to the rich chocolate.

deliriously decadent.

Meyer lemon polenta cake, cara cara orange curd, almond lace cookie

as much as I loved the chocolate, I loved this one just as much if not more. I love a polenta cake that is very mildly sweet, and the orange curd was bright and beautiful,
tart and sweet.

I loved sharing both of these desserts with my Valentine.

…and if that was not enough, there were surprise truffles at the end. three flavors, two of each, one eaten with a perfect cup of coffee, two enjoyed on the way home.

we were both happy with our Valentines choice of Blossoming Lotus. After an uncharacteristic and slightly weird start (the door was locked until seating time, when we were asked to enter single file for our seating assignments), my favorite Portland gem quickly recovered and we were delighted by course after delectable course. We had some great conversation with the very talented and informed mixologist, talking cocktails, coffee and bitters (we will return in the spring for the rhubarb bitters!).

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One of the aspects of the foodie 100 that I am really excited about is the author program, where we have opportunities to work with brands and new product.

One of my favorite parts of being a nurse to my dad recently? Feeding him good food!
I have been making fresh green juice for him each morning, and he likes it!

He has been enjoying yogurt lately, too, so when Activia and Foodie offered to send me the new Harvest Picks flavors, I knew I could make some good eats for Dad.

New Activia Harvest Picks is a deliciously fruity and silky smooth yogurt.
You will enjoy a Harvest of real fruit in every silky spoonful.

Adding fresh fruit. granola, coconut and chia seeds to the Harvest Picks peach flavor made a tasty and filling parfait for Dad’s breakfast each day this week. He said the peach is his favorite flavor, describing it as fluffy, smooth and sweet. I tried to get him to draw more pictures…

Yesterday’s breakfast was a Harvest Picks Smoothie:

I juiced fresh kale, apple, ginger and spinach, then blended it with one Harvest Picks strawberry flavor. The yogurt sweetened the juice and made a filling snack to go with our standard two cups of coffee

and a muffin.

I used the Harvest Picks mixed berries flavor to make muffins – fluffy, fruity and filling. Add crumb topping gives a crunchy finish, while the yogurt makes them chewy and delicious. These muffins got rave reviews – I’ll be making them again, maybe peach?

mixed berry oatmeal muffins with crumb topping – see muffin recipe here.

If you follow me on twitter, you may have seen some #Glam tweeting going on recently. We have been having some fun chats – the chat from last Monday is still going on, if you’d like to join in:

Compensation was provided by Activia via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of spabettie and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Activia.

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All of the sudden, Portland is cold. Jason and I spent all Valentines day together, going to breakfast, running errands, walking the dog… you know, comforting togetherness. All day, though, both of us kept talking about how cold it was (and Jason is never cold!). Coming home after Valentines dinner out, there was ice on the ground where we live.

Portland finally got it’s winter! That means all kinds of comforting soups and lots of slow cooker action. While our favorite soup continues to be my African peanut, we like all kinds of soup around here.

I always like my soups to have some kind of crunchy garnish, so this curried lentil soup comes with cauliflower croutons.

Yeah, I could eat a whole pan of that. I will even admit that I have. Oops. Yes, I had to make another batch for a recipe. It was worth the drive back to the store…

See these recipes on Foodie.

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I have told you about the time we were able to get almost the whole first class cabin of a flight to change their drink order to Baileys and coffee. Baileys and coffee was also a standard mid morning indulgence when we were snowed in for three weeks a few years back. We’d go on walks in the snow, come back home, start a fire and enjoy a coffee.

I have a new favorite Baileys drink!

Baileys and black tea.

Served in the ceramic version of my favorite New York deli cup. Everything tastes better in the New York deli cup.

Very easy, really. Not even a recipe.

I brewed my favorite black tea. I added a couple shots of my homemade Baileys to it.

Mmm, this is my newest obsession. I may have to wait until Saturday to enjoy this as a Valentines breakfast… and I’ll have to wait until my nursing shift is over, but we will have this with breakfast.

We will also have french toast.

You can just go ahead and make an extra cup of Baileys and tea, then use part of it for the french toast batter. Then, you know, enjoy the rest. Cheers!

baileys and black tea french toast

dairy, egg and gluten free, vegan

makes six pieces

1/2 container (6 ounces) silken tofu
2 shots Baileys Irish Cream*
1/3 cup steeped black tea
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla
6 pieces your favorite gluten free bread 

*substitute Baileys (and tea) for your choice of milk – I have made this with coconut milk

Combine all ingredients in food processor. Thin with more liquid as necessary (silken tofu varies in consistency). Pour into shallow bowl, dip bread pieces into batter and cook on a griddle over medium heat, a minute or two on each side, until cooked through and golden.

Serve with coconut spread (or butter), maple syrup and fresh fruit. Earth Balance coconut spread melts just like butter, and is so tasty good.

Being mainly gluten free and vegan, I used to think french toast was just not going to be. Oh how I love french toast – and it’s one thing that reminds me of great breakfasts shared with Grandpa Z.

I can once again make french toast – this is as good as any I’ve ever had. Great for a Valentines, or the Saturday following…

Happy Valentines Day!

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I have been meaning to share the view outside my dad’s hospital room.

Someone attached three super heros onto a string, and they fly right by the windows.

Super heros = people you look up to. People you want to emulate and celebrate.

My dad has been my hero these last several months. Going through some pretty tough surgeries, and now having a trach temporarily take his voice, he has been nothing but positive and strong. He always has a big smile for me, and like I shared before, always jokes with me and the nurses.

He is able to cough through his trach, and does it well. He was telling me the other day he scared a nurse, made her jump, because his cough was so loud.

This is how he told me:

I had to take a photo of that, because it makes me smile. I look at it often.

So many of you continue to ask about him and send positive thoughts, and I thank you for all of them. Your words mean more than you know. Dad is doing well, and is now at home. I have this nurse thing down to an imperfect science, and it’s a nice visit each morning when I show up. We had an oncologist appointment today – I really like his whole team of doctors – and he starts chemo treatment this Thursday. I will keep you updated – his plan goes several months.

Now I have sat here at my keyboard for the last several minutes, not knowing how to say what I have to say.

We lost Jason’s dad yesterday. It was completely unexpected and we are numb with shock and sadness. One day I may share more about Jason’s dad, and what an amazing person he was. I am so happy to have known him, he was another who was positive and funny and always put others before himself.

As they say back in Missouri, very Salt of the Earth.

The world lost a good one yesterday. A real life hero.

Bob, you impacted many. You are dearly missed, by many.

I made several flavors of peanut butter cups for Valentines Day. For a step by step photo tutorial (and to see some detailed Earth chocolates), click here. For the following recipes, refer to that method when reading directions.

Peanut butter cups are easy to make, using very few ingredients, and can be made tonight, in time for Valentines Day! Making up surprise middles is the best part.

The new favorite peanut butter cup in our house? Wasabi.

wasabi peanut butter cups

After the second layer of peanut butter, dot wasabi on top or if you are adventurous and like spicy heat, spread a layer atop peanut butter. Yum. Continue and complete with final layer(s) of chocolate.

I was generous with the wasabi:

Wasabi and peanut butter are a surprisingly good pairing. Nestle that perfect pairing into dark chocolate? Happy Valentines Day, indeed.

graham peanut butter cups

Prior to the second layer of peanut butter, add a layer of graham crumbs to the first layer of chocolate. Top with peanut butter layer and continue with final layers of chocolate.

dark chocolate ginger cups

Get rid of the peanut butter altogether in this one! Replace with generous chunks of crystallized ginger, cover with final layer of dark chocolate. Mmm – such a delicious combination!

…and then? I covered them in Valentines decor! Remember how I told you my first try with vegan white chocolate didn’t quite work this year? I was able to salvage it, and I made it into fuchsia fondant hearts. Hearts that topped each and every flavor of peanut butter cups.

Well, the ones that didn’t have swirled chocolate and pink glitter or rainbow sprinkles.

Happy Valentines!

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Yep, you read that right, Oreo.

Do you know there are vanilla Oreos now? I may like them even more than the original. Although I know either choice would be good in this crust, I went with Golden.

This time.

I’m going to add to the conversation about Oreos being vegan, and throw my hat into the “yes they are” side of the ring. Healthy? Not at all. Tasty? Sometimes. Always.

As a crust for cheesecake bars? Absolutely. Throw them in the food processor, filling and all. I still added melted butter, but reduced the amount. This crust is good.

You may want to throw a few extra cookies into into the processor, if you taste test like me.

raspberry cheesecake oreo bars

dairy and egg free, vegan

crust:

one half package Golden Oreos
1 tablespoon butter (Earth Balance), melted

Process Oreos in to crumb; add melted butter and combine. Press into 9×9 baking dish, bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

filling:

2 packages cream cheese (8 oz Tofutti), room temperature
2 tablespoons Ener-G egg powder
3 tablespoons NuNaturals More Fiber Baking Blend
2 tablespoons almond milk
2 tablespoons agave, divided
1 pint fresh raspberries 

Combine cream cheese, egg powder, baking blend, almond milk and 2 tablespoons agave. Divide in half and set aside. In saucepan over medium heat, combine raspberries and remaining 1 tablespoon agave. Stir until raspberries make a syrup, leaving some berries intact.

Combine berries with half cheesecake batter. Pour ‘plain’ batter over crust, top with ‘berried’ batter. Bake at 375 for 37-42 minutes or until set. Cool completely on counter before cutting; store covered in refrigerator.

This is one of the last in my series of Valentines desserts – although it also works for a random Saturday.

Cuteness for the day – a sheep-herding rabbit.

Happy Saturday!

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I recently finished another cleanse, this one was three days, plus a week of raw eating my own meals after. This way of eating is so good for me, makes me feel good and extremely energetic.

After we celebrate Valentines and finish up all the pink treats, I am doing another one. I will be doing this one, again.

Cooler cleanse. I love the way this is designed, and I love the juice – all delicious! You choose a three day or a five day cleanse, and you are sent a variety of juices and a cooler (cute cooler, I use it all the time!). There are six juices a day, each bottle with a number on the lid, 1-6. The cleanse is planned out to be consumed by number, and these are the daily choices:

1) sweet greens

2) grapefruit & mint, pineapple ginger or watermelon lime

3) essential green

4) young coconut water or spicy lemonade

5) essential red

6) almond nut milk or brazil nut milk

The essential greens? There are three pounds of greens in every bottle.

The pineapple ginger is amazing – it’s a flavor I make often anyway, so its good to know I’m making good combinations on my own.

The sweet greens and the essential reds are great, and I looked forward to them. They are a great way to start the day and get through the afternoon.

Finishing the day with a nut milk felt soothing and relaxing. These people know what they’re doing.

The watermelon lime tastes like summer. Makes me want summer.
I cannot wait for summer.

The young coconut water is one of the best flavors I have tasted in a while, of anything. It was amazing, and as weird as this will sound, tasted like cereal. I want to buy coolers full of this one flavor, if they let me. A delicious flavor that was definitely a favorite of the week. The most accurate way I can describe it is a tasty comfort cereal flavor.

SO good.

I have never tasted anything like it. I’m not excited to drink other coconut juice now…

Many of my readers already know I love to juice and cleanse. If you want to know my reasoning and experiences (and see a fun pineapple pepper!), please read this.

For a detailed FAQ / ‘your questions answered’, please read this. If you have any questions, please ask.

I love my juicer, I got a new one a couple months ago (details on that soon!). With as much juicing as I do, I have gotten into quite a groove with it all – from prepping the produce to juicing to cleaning the juicer, I can get it all done within 20 minutes at the most. I know a common complaint is cleaning the juicer, heck, for some it is “dragging it in from the garage”. A cleanse like this is a great alternative to doing it yourself and saving time.

I realize the price is out of range of many daily food budgets, and I already know this will be something I splurge on, plan and save for. There are times in life (like mine, right now) where having everything planned and done and ready for you is a really good thing. With my days being non stop and completely packed from 6am to 9pm these days, I welcome this. It is quick, convenient, portable (cooler! keeps it cool!), and completely nutritious.

I can’t wait to do it again!

POST SPONSORED BY COOLER CLEANSE. MY POSITIVE VIEWS OF JUICING AND THIS CLEANSE IS UNBIASED.

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